The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against unknown individuals after a viral video surfaced on social media showing a young man casting multiple votes for BJP candidate Mukesh Rajput at a polling booth. The video, which lasts about two minutes, depicts the voter repeatedly selecting the BJP candidate on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at least eight times. The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified by India Today.
Mukesh Rajput is a BJP candidate from the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The FIR was lodged at the Naya Gaon police station following a complaint by ARO Prateet Tripathi. The case has been filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant election laws, including IPC Section 171F (offense related to elections), IPC Section 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), and Sections 128, 132, and 136 of the Representation of the People Act (related to maintaining the secrecy of voting, fraud at elections, and other election offenses).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) took immediate cognizance of the matter and directed the concerned authorities to take swift and effective action. The Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh confirmed the directive for prompt measures.
The incident gained significant attention after being highlighted by the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) on social media. The Congress party shared the video on X (formerly known as Twitter), urging the Election Commission to take notice and action. The SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, also shared the video, calling for the Election Commission to intervene and prevent what he described as the BJP's "booth committee" from turning into a "loot committee."
The incident underscores the ongoing concerns about electoral integrity and the need for vigilant oversight to ensure fair and transparent elections.
